The area of U.S. cropland infested
with glyphosate-resistant weeds has expanded to 61.2 million acres in
2012, according to a survey conducted by Stratus Agri-Marketing.

Nearly half (49%) of all U.S. farmers
interviewed reported that glyphosate-resistant weeds were present on
their farm in 2012, up from 34% of farmers in 2011. The survey also
indicates that the rate at which glyphosate-resistant weeds are
spreading is gaining momentum, increasing 25% in 2011 and 51% in 2012.

Which means, pretty much, if there is an environmental advantage to any GMO, it is going to spread into the wild in about the time needed to grow up for college. So if we want to introduce something new, it had damn well better be something we want our grandbunnies to live with. Not saying that there are not such things (maybe Golden Rice, for example), but we better be prepared and ready for the spread.

17 comments:

It says something about Glyphosate resistance in some weeds. From spraying glyphosate. Perhaps glyphosate resistant crops means more glyphosate spraying, which will lead to quicker resistance in weeds. But I don't know that.

Some studies have shown that resistance genes can spread from GMO plants to other closely related weedy plants. I've read nothing to suggest that this is a big problem in the wild, or that it is something that will occur with all GMO crops.

I guess I don't like this post. Maybe you shouldn't hold your breath for ten seconds if something Pielke or Kloor writes displeases you?

" Perhaps glyphosate resistant crops means more glyphosate spraying, which will lead to quicker resistance in weeds. But I don't know that."

Given that the whole point of glyphosphate resistant crops like round-up ready corn and soybeans is to allow the use of glyphosphate on these crops, and given that the whole POINT of Monsanto's research and development of these crops was to increase the market for and sales of round-up ...

you don't know much.

The spread of glyphosphate resistance to weeds is a big deal, and as Eli points out, has only taken 20 years. It was predicted in advance, we've learned a lot from the use of antibiotics and DDT and one of the things that has been learned is that selection for existing but low-frequency traits, or random mutation followed by selection, will result in the spread of resistance even if our knowledge of biochemistry at the time would appear to make it impossible.

Kloor's is an incredibly annoying "look at me, I'm a centrist (mostly doing hippie-punching), so I must be smart" pundit. This issue points out that GMO plants shouldn't be used in places where the wild ancestor still exists. Kloor occasionally half-admits this to be true, then backs off and claims there are no environmental repercussions.

One of the predictable things about Roundup Ready is that it would (and has) lead to the use of more herbicide per acre than previously used. This was because the farmers did not have to worry about affecting the crop when spraying the weeds, so they simply dumped the stuff all over.

crf: "Some studies have shown that resistance genes can spread from GMO plants to other closely related weedy plants. I've read nothing to suggest that this is a big problem in the wild, or that it is something that will occur with all GMO crops."

"in at least one case, genes for herbicide resistance (“Roundup Ready”) were deliberately introduced into a pernicious weed. Creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera), a Eurasian species, is a popular turfgrass, used in lawns, golf courses, etc. In some areas, e.g. Oregon’s Willamette valley, it is an agressive invader of native plant communities, and once established is nearly impossible to eradicate (personal experience). In 2002, the Scott’s Company and Monsanto Corparation conducted field trials of RR creeping bent in a “production control” area of Oregon, in the process of obtaining APHIS approval for commercial release. Despite precautions, the RR genes escaped into feral populations, and intensive efforts at eradication have failed. USDA-APHIS has not approved RR creeping bent for commercial release, but the genes are now in the wild, and conservationists and ecological restorationists are losing one of the few effective weapons against a troublesome invasive alien plant."

Glyphosate resistant weeds is only one of the negative effects of the widespread use of RR crops. In areas where there is indiscriminate spraying, e.g Argentina, there has been a large increase in the number of fetal malformations. In particular neural tube defects have shown a dramatic increase. What has that got to do with glyphosate you ask? Well, glyphosate has recently been shown to interfere with the retinoic acid signalling pathway during development which has been shown experimentally to lead to neural tube defects..

Who indeed could possibly be anti-GMO when DOW Chemical, responding to Monsanto's "completely unexpected" Roundup-resistant gene escape, has petitioned the USDA for approval of it's own corn strain that has a gene conferring resistance to 2,4-D, half the cocktail of agent orange?

The other major GMO trait, inclusion of the insecticidal protein Bt, is also having problems. The first problem is similar to what is happening with the RR trait, insects are becoming resistant to the Bt protein. The companies are trying to get around this by adding additional Bt proteins (there are a number of related toxic proteins produced by Bacillus thuringiensis) but this will only delay the inevitable.

The second problem is one that was not anticipated. Plants produce their own insecticides or insect avoiding chemicals when they are attacked by leaf munching insects. This effect repels not only the leaf munchers (caterpillars etc.) but also repels other insects such as aphids and leaf hoppers which suck sap rather than graze on the leaves. It has now been shown that in Bt cotton insects which were never a problem in cotton fields are now attacking Bt cotton because of this. Thus farmers have to spray fields which they were told would not have to be sprayed thus increasing their costs. This has been of particular significance in India.

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Eli Rabett

Eli Rabett, a not quite failed professorial techno-bunny who finally handed in the keys and retired from his wanna be research university. The students continue to be naive but great people and the administrators continue to vary day-to-day between homicidal and delusional without Eli's help. Eli notices from recent political developments that this behavior is not limited to administrators. His colleagues retain their curious inability to see the holes that they dig for themselves. Prof. Rabett is thankful that they, or at least some of them occasionally heeded his pointing out the implications of the various enthusiasms that rattle around the department and school. Ms. Rabett is thankful that Prof. Rabett occasionally heeds her pointing out that he is nuts.